Your purpose for eternity

In his book, “Driven by Eternity,“ John Bevere writes how important it is to plan for our eternal future. Of those who plan for forever with God, John writes, “. . . they live with purpose and know their eternal destiny is being written by how they live on the earth. This will provide them a grand entrance into the Kingdom of God, rather than them slipping in with all they’ve done burned up and destroyed.”

What? Burned up? Destroyed? What is John talking about? He is referring to 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 which reads:

“If any man builds on this foundation [Jesus Christ] using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his will work will be shown for what it is, because the Day [when Jesus Christ returns] will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping the flames.”

Building with gold, silver and costly stones means “building on Christ” by obeying Him and His calling (or purpose) for your life. Building with wood, hay or straw means following your own fleshly desires to live life your own way regardless of God’s plan. Can you imagine working your entire life, doing good works and accomplishing things that you thought would matter to God, then finally meeting him face-to-face only to realize that you were only doing what sounded good to you and that you weren’t “building on Christ” at all?

Granted, no one builds entirely on Christ because we often sin and we are generally selfish. For this reason, I’m glad that salvation does not depend on works (Eph. 2:8-9), instead, we are justified through the blood of Christ (1 Cor. 6:11). But as you can see, heavenly rewards do depend on works and those rewards we will be a direct result of how we lived on the earth, just as my father said. Perhaps these heavenly rewards are a reason why Paul exhorted the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12).

All of this doesn’t mean that if you are a stay-at-home mom that you should feel guilty or that “I should be doing more for Christ.” Neither does it mean that if you are not in the ministry that you should run out to become a missionary. Instead, remember that God’s rewards will be granted based on obedience to fulfill whatever vocation or purpose He has called you to, whether you’re a doctor, teacher, stay-at home mom or landscaper. Therefore, your life’s purpose must begin and end with Him. So when He reveals what He wants you to do with your life, do it wholeheartedly! Then, when you come into His Kingdom, you will hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21).

Remember, love is big in God’s book

Maybe you’re thinking, But I have no idea what my purpose is. God hasn’t revealed it to me yet. Be encouraged! While you are waiting for Christ to reveal His entire plan for you, you can still build on the foundation He is by living out what He says is the greatest gift of all—love (1 Cor. 13:13).

I once read a story about a man who gave his sister a very small gift and God noticed it, too. The man, a high-dollar philanthropist, was also a mover and a shaker in higher education. Unexpectedly, he became ill and died for a few moments. At this time, Christ appeared to him in a dream to show him scenes from his life. While reviewing each scene, Christ revealed the value He placed on each of the man’s actions. Surprisingly, Jesus didn’t do cartwheels because the man had given away large sums of money. And He didn’t say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” when He reviewed the man’s academic achievements. Rather, it was a simple encounter the man had with his sister that pleased the Lord.

One day when the man noticed that his sister was heartbroken in an effort to comfort her, he embraced her tight for a long time. In Christ’s book, this was the man’s greatest accomplishment.

While you are seeking God to reveal your life’s purpose, sometimes little acts of love can seem mundane and unimportant, like helping your husband balance the checkbook, choosing to have patience with one of your children or reaching out to a neighbor that you find less than desirable. But remember, God notices. So the next time you’re beating yourself up because you’re not sure of His purpose for your life, think of this man and his brotherly embrace. Then smile, because if you are building your life on Christ with love, what you do will matter for eternity.